Family ASTRO: History and Evolution

Family
ASTRO was initially developed to expand the ASP’s flagship
program Project ASTRO™,
which has partnered thousands of volunteer amateur and professional
astronomers around the country with classroom teachers and students
in their communities. We soon discovered with Project ASTRO that
there was tremendous interest in what the astronomers and their
educator partners were doing in the classroom among the families
of their students.

In
2000, we received pilot funding from the Informal Science Education
Division of the National
Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a strategy and materials
to bring astronomy in a more systematic way to families in the same
communities where Project ASTRO already operates. We told NSF, "We
wanted to get families away from watching Hollywood stars and outside
to follow the real ones!"

Since
then, we’ve trained not only many Project ASTRO partners,
but also hundreds of other educators across the country to use our
series of Leader Kits and Take-Home Activities to lead fun,
hands-on Astronomy Events in their communities.
Through these educators, which include classroom teachers, homeschool
teachers, amateur and professional astronomers, volunteer college
students, science center and museum staff, librarians, afterschool
providers, park and recreation staff, and youth group leaders (e.g.,
boys’ and girls’ clubs, Girl and Boy Scouts, etc.),
thousands of children and adults have participated to date in one
or more Family ASTRO events.

For
those educators looking for more intensive Family ASTRO training,
the Regional Sites of our National
Network offer hands-on Event Leader training workshops. Click
here to see if there is a site near you.

Finally,
our Take-Home Activities
(games and kits) are available to anyone who wants to have fun at
home with family and friends and learn some astronomy at the same
time. So, whether you want to spend some quality time under the
stars, play a cooperative board game while learning about the Moon,
test your knowledge of the Solar System, or hold a "deep space"
night of cards, we think you’ll find a Family ASTRO game or
kit that suits your cosmic mood. Click
here to find out more about these activities and how to order
them.